The Ashmedain Empire
The Ashmedain Empire The Ashmedain Empire is a sprawling nation that takes up the largest area of land on the continent of 'Undefined', situated in and taking up the entirety of the north-eastern most portion of the continent itself. Due to it's sheer size as a nation, it is likely one of the most geologically diverse areas in all of Lis Mundi; ranging from heavily mountanious artic tundra to the north to quite fertile farmland in the southernmost taiga area. Because of it's geological diversity, Ashmedai is one of the most successful nations in terms of being rather secluded save for it's closest neighbors on it's continent, Motweld and Asteria, and the island empire of Shizumi directly to it's south across the sea. Culture In terms of culture, Ashmedai is actually quite an amalgam of cultures that would be expected if an empire of it's size, though this is predominately due to the fact that before the formation of the empire itself the surrounding area was populated by individualistic tribes rather than a single congruent nation of any sort. The native people of Ashmedai, and it's surrounding areas, are known as lycanthropes due to the fact that their genetic builds are similar to that of various other animals due to the natural magicks of the surrounding area as well as interbreeding with the animal spirits that make up the second largest chunk of the population. While the lycanthropes themselves vary widely from person to person in terms of aesthetics, their genetic similarities are generally quite close across the board. There are two accepted 'strains' of lycanthropes in Ashmedai; the hearty northern Cimar and the lithe southern Nan, though interbreeding between the two strains have ultimately broken down the racial difference walls between the two. There are also much smaller 'strains' in the form of the secretive Mora and the draconian Auer, though these populations are far smaller than the first two. The second largest portion of the population is made up of animal spirits, arcanic creatures that seem to be animals given humanoid forms, though the actual nature of their coming into being is ultimately unknown. The animal spirits are generally the most attuned to the strange magicks that exist in Ashmedai and are somewhat revered, though ultimately they live peacefully with the lycanthropes, even so much as being genetically capable of interbreeding with the other race which is likely the very cause of the lycanthrope race existing at all. Government The Ashmedain Empire exists, in terms of government, as an oligarchy empire which is led by it's emperor in addition to four powerful marquess who govern the individual marches that make up the entirety of the nation itself. While essentially a godhead, the Lord Imperatrix Odyssa Volkov forms the leader of the government as a whole with her four Noblisse (Grand Marquess Vadim of Caina, Grand Marquise Galina of Judecca, Marquess Kapustin of Antenora, and Marquess Belov of Ptolomea) acting as regional governors that handle the actual duties of their individual marches. In addition to the Marquess, there are a number of smaller regional governors that handle municipal areas, townships, and areas such as the Sword Gate that partially cuts off Ashmedai proper from the rest of the continent. While ultimately an empire, many of the functions of Ashmedai itself is left to free rule generally due to the nation's size. Technology Ashmedai is known as having a balanced combination of technology and magic insofar as it's techological infrastructure is concerned. The land of Ashmedai, itself, is inundated with a strange form of magic that is otherwise known as Wild Magick by inhabitants of the nation and surrounding areas. While similar to druidic principles, these unusual magicks seem to come from an otherwise extraterrestrial force which is often considered to be something tied to the Lemegeton. This magic is both part of and often fuels the technology aspects of Ashmedai, being used as a form of free energy which produces a great deal of power while being ultimately a clean, semi-renewable energy source that gives very little danger in terms of useage. In addition to being a part of the natural landscape itself, the Wild Magicks are capable of being part of individuals as well which is considered magical aptitude, which also varies from individual to individual in various manners. Most individuals with noticably high levels of magical aptitude are either part of the Ashmedai military or government, acting as soldiers and commanders or priests for inner sects. The natural energies are often harvested from enchanted materials, generally minerals, and used as fuel for machinery utilized by the Ashmedain population, and due to it's ability to recorporate over time this energy source is considered a reliable renewable resource. Ashmedain machinery itself is similar to steam-powered technology, and some do have an optional back-up plan to use steam power if needed, though they generally incorporate this form of energy as their primary source. Technology itself ranges from agricultural tools, to limited forms of public transportation, to military hardware such as semi-autonomous 'golems.' Agriculture Agriculturally, Ashmedai is mostly centered around it's bread basket of Judecca, the march that makes up the majority of the south of it's land. While the western portion of Judecca is dedicated to bolstering the defenses of the Sword Gate, the largest portion of Judecca is dedicated entirely to agriculture and commerce to support the rest of the nation as a whole. While he other marches are capable of sustaining themselves through various forms of agriculture, Judecca itself supplies the largest amount of the entire empire and thus is considered to be one of it's major assets. The major amount of Ashmedai's farming focuses on hardy herd animals, grains, and vegetables, as the climate itself can support few fruits, and thus the cuisine of Ashmedai can be considered very heavy in terms of proteins and other minerals which leads further into the heartiness of it's people. While ultimately there are many variations of dishes as would be expected of such a large empire, many people from outside of the empire itself would easily find many of the dishes culturally similar as the base level. Other areas, such as Caina, focus moreso on passable vegetables and other forms of plants due to the much harsher climate that reduces their growing seasons considerably. Trade In terms of trade with nations outside of itself, Ashmedai itself is rather secluded. While there is no tendency towards denying or avoiding other nations, Ashmedai is simply quite capable of supporting itself in most endeavors without a considerable amount of importation, though there are some goods and services that even the sprawling nation cannot sustain itself with on it's own. The major import of Ashmedai is food (generally of the type that the nation itself cannot sustain, such as fruit, and sometimes livestock not naturally adaptive to the nation's climates) and various forms of materials and individuals for construction, mostly in terms of being taught new forms of technology that they can adapt to their own ends. This also plays into the greatest export of Ashmedai, it's work force. The sheer size of the Ashmedai population means there are always able-bodied individuals who are able and willing to travel to new areas to work, which is especially useful due to the natural heartiness of the people which allows them to do various forms of heavy labor with very little difficulty. In addition to this, the actual industrial make up of Ashmedai allows the nation to produce various forms of goods for other nations during research agreements, oftentimes doubling or even tripling the speed of production for it's allies. Foreign Policy The foreign policy of Ashmedai is surprising, though at the same time very beneficial to the further proliferation of Lis Mundi itself. Due to it's own size and the fact it was created by the incorporation of multiple smaller tribes in it's infancy, Ashmedai itself seems to have very little interest in forceful expansion or all-out war with other established nations, ultimately it holds at least neutral connections to all over known nations. Ashmedai's own foreign policy is the enrichment and growth of it's zone of control through peaceful and symbiotic natures rather than war or force, preferring to cooperate rather than dominate. However, Ashmedai's military prescence is not one to be understimated, as it's military fields a considerable amount of manpower and firepower which often is not seen due to acting on the defensive against rogue tribes outside of the borders of the Sword Gate, though it's offensive strength would be considerable if it were to be deemed necessary. Ashmedai's three closest neighboring nations are the Empire of Shizumi, the Motweld Confederation, and the Empire of Asteria; of which Shizumi seems to be it's closest ally due to being the closest and being rather constant trade partners. Language Ashmedai's language and alphabet are also quite unique compared to other nations. While, due to it's size, dialects vary quite a bit from location to location the Ashmedain language is actually quite well-defined. In general, the language can be considered rather rough in terms of sound and very direct, carrying with it a very informal sort of sound when compared to some other languages, though it is far from a barbaric form. While somewhat difficult to grasp very quickly for many, the language itself is quite easy to decipher after some learning as it is constructed in a fashion that is very obvious and defining, permitting easily grasp subjects without too much fear of conotation. The alphabet of Ashmedai is also similar to it's language, as it is a very direct form of writing. The actual form of the alphabet is a combination of both sounding as well as visual, as the letters do resemble their phonetics while also possessing a form that set them a part from other letters. The actual alphabet itself makes up various 'sounds' which are arranged to make out their given words, though foreigners unaccustomed to the language may be initially daunted by the manner in which lettering is arranged, though ultimately the alphabet is not exceeding difficult to learn. There also exists a second form of alphabet which is based moreso on the original languages of the Nan strain of lycanthropes, which incorporates more form over function and thus is much more difficult to learn than the standard alphabet; even for some individuals of the nation itself. This form of alphabet is generally only used for formal occasions rather than in normal company. ---- Known Citizens * Lord Imperiatrix Odyssa Volkov * Grand Marquess Vadim * Grand Marquise Galina * Marquess Kapustin * Marquess Belov ---- Hoshin (It's coming, shut up.) ----